This past weekend was Veteran’s Day. A time to recognize and celebrate what so many have offered in service and sacrifice to all of us in this great nation. We honor the soldiers of our country because of the risks each one signs up for to honor and protect the freedoms that so many in our country take for granted each day. I hope each veteran was honored by all this past weekend.

            As Christians we are also called to be soldiers of the cross. Our mission is of another battlefield where we also fight for freedom, but one of an eternal order.  To be a veteran one must be dedicated to the cause for which he or she is willing to fight and ultimately be willing to lay down their life for, and each soldier of the cross of Christ must be dedicated in the same way to the cause of our King, the Lord Jesus.  I think of one particular veteran of the cause and cross of Christ, the Apostle Paul. He stated at the end of his life that he fought the good fight and finished the race. He recognized the cause for love is in its own way a fight. Not in means of typical warfare, but one of submission to the King through acts of kindness, patience, compassion, forgiveness and love which do not always come so naturally to us. The fight is not without for the Christian so much as it is a war raging from within. May we fight the good fight of love each day until He calls us home in Heaven or until He returns in glory.

2 Timothy 4:7-8 NLT

⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. ⁸ And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing. ^[1]

^[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (2 Ti 4:7–8). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

Have you ever heard someone say, “Man, that hit me like a ton of bricks!”? The death of a loved one, someone prominent in the community, a public figure, etc. can hit us just in the same way. Death is the final absolute of this life that each of us must face. Death is a reminder, an awful reminder, of the brevity and mortality of life. As I write this article, I am also preparing a funeral message to be given tomorrow which makes my thoughts fresh on the subject. Here are few words that come to mind this morning.

 First of all, the word Brevity comes to mind. Life is short and the older we get the shorter life gets. As Gus McCrae once stated in Lonesome Dove, “Life is short. Shorter for some than others.” We never know how long or short our lives will be. We must live with contrasts everyday realizing that today can bring so much promise and adventure, but it also may be the last day you get out of your bed.

Second, the word Investment comes to mind. What are you investing your life in today? Do they have any ultimate value? Invest in eternal things where they may be enjoyed forever. Such things as relationship with God, family, your children, etc. not things that will pass away.

Finally, the word Reflection comes to mind. Each day it is a good idea to reflect over life and the day we just lived. In recovery circles Step 10 of the Twelve Steps is one of reflection and personal inventory. When is the last time you slowed down in your life to reflect. Reflect on the good things and let your mind ponder on the gifts God has given you such as the very last breath you just took. Tomorrow isn’t promised so thank God for the life he has given and the opportunity to live it.

James 4:14 NLT

¹⁴ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.

Is it hard for you to trust? Trust can be very difficult for any of us especially if someone has abused our trust. Trust can be something that takes a while to build back up if someone has hurt us before. Yet, trust is an important part of any relationship because it allows us not to solely to depend on ourselves.

            We have to admit we can’t do it all, therefore, whether we like it or not we need others in the experience of life. When we don’t trust those who can be trusted we teach ourselves to isolate and fear begins to dominate. We also cheat ourselves from what others can offer our lives. The building of any relationship depends on our willingness to trust another. So how do we learn to trust?

            To learn to trust involves the character of those we wish to trust. Because trust involves dependence upon another we need to make sure they are trustworthy through the character they have. Inspecting a person’s character is like inspecting the legs of a chair. We do so to make sure it can be depended on when pressure is involved. Second, to build trust also involves forgiveness. We may need to forgive those who have broken our trust before to give them a second chance as God has given us a second chance. Third, trust depends on grace. God has given us grace when we broke His trust so we must give grace to others who may break our trust. Any person will fail you at some point. It is inevitable because we are humans who sin. It is not always the other persons intention to break our trust so we must also be willing to show grace as others have had to show with us. The safest One to trust is God because He has the safest character of all, gives grace when we fail, and He never sins against us. May we learn to repair trust in others as we learn to trust Him.

Psalms 56:3-4

But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.

I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?

What can mere mortals do to me?

Have you ever seen a snake poke it’s tongue out? They are hideous creatures with forked tongues. You know who else has a forked tongue? Humans do! We often, as the old saying goes, ‘speak out of both sides of our mouth.’ We, to put it bluntly, have all been two-faced or as Scripture puts it, double-tongued.

As believers, we are to seek authenticity in our lives. We are to let our “yes be yes” and our “no be no.” We are to be people of our word like God is a God of His Word. Yet, how can we be so guilty at using our tongue to praise the Lord one moment and curse the world the next? This reveals an issue of the heart. This reveals where the person is in their integrity. We must walk as Jesus did seeking to be authentic right down to the smallest word we say because we must all give an account not just of our actions but of our words as well. “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.”

 (Matthew 12:36) How are you at using your tongue? May we use our words to build up, not tear down this week!

James 3:9-12

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

The word “blessed” can be translated as the word “happy.” Scripture states that happiness can be found in the company we keep or that we don’t keep. Many people are unhappy because they are taking advice from those who are not qualified to give it. It is like one alcoholic asking another alcoholic, who is active in his addiction, how to stop drinking. Who do you seek advice from in your life?

Peer pressure is a real thing to deal with not just as a student in school, but in the entirety of our lives. What company do you keep? Are you victim of peer pressure? Are you hanging around people that will make you better or worse? Will they make you grow as a person or help you to become more stagnate in your life? Scripture clearly states, “Bad company corrupts good character.” 1 Corinthians 15:33

There is something else to remember that happiness is not only found in the company you keep or don’t keep, but also in taking delight in God and His Word. God is a good God who wants to be understood by you. The more we understand our Creator the more we can enjoy and find happiness in the life He has given us. Life itself is a gift from God. The more we understand the God who gave us life, the more “blessed” or “happy” we shall be.

Psalm 1:1-2

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of

sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

For the believer joy is a fruit of the spirit. To know that our sins are forgiven, our account is cleared, graced bestowed, and hope granted should create an inner celebration for those who have put their faith in Christ Jesus. Therefore, as followers of Christ, our perspective of life should be different than the rest of the world not rooted in the circumstances of life but in the reality of a loving and forgiving God.

My question for us this week: Is your temperament, mood, or attitude towards life rooted in your circumstances or the reality of God’s love for you?  I’ve heard many times the statement, “Well under the circumstances…” For the Christian one must ask, “Why are you under the circumstances?” Your reality in Christ is greater than any circumstance that comes your way in this life. See beyond today through the spectacles of eternity.

Paul writing to the Philippian church from a Roman dungeon clearly is not under the circumstances of his situation where his hope would be minimal and future dreary. No he is rejoicing at the fact  that He knows Christ, he has been recognized by the world as a spokesman for Christ, and is willing to be punished and even die as a prisoner for Christ. Paul would tell us that no matter the circumstances you are in, even if death is inevitable on the immediate horizon of your future, as a believer you have reason to rejoice in Jesus. May we as His followers rejoice in God’s love no matter our circumstances.

Philippians 4:4

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Recently, I was out of town on a speaking engagement and flipped on the TV searching through the channels in the hotel room. A show was on where two people were discussing some problem, and one replied to the other, “You know I’m your best friend, and I’ll tell you anything you want me to tell you.” I immediately thought how silly that was to think that was a friendship. Yet, sadly, that is where our society is in our relationships, politics, and even in our churches. We are no longer interested in the things that are true, but rather what we want to hear. The best of friends is not always saying what we want to hear, but what we need to hear. 

Paul warns Timothy of the same issue. He states there will come, and in our age has come, a time when people will not be interested in truth or sound doctrine but will only be interested in what they want to be true rather than in truth itself. This web of deception has crept into the walls of churches and infiltrated the ranks. It has distorted a true view of who God is for so many because there is so much preaching that is according to “our own desires” verses the truth of sound doctrine. C.S. Lewis put it this way, “If you don’t listen to theology, that won’t mean you have no ideas about God, it will mean you have a lot of wrong ones.” There are a lot of wrong ideas about God, even among believers, because so many have deviated from the truth of Scripture. II Timothy 4:3-4…For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths

Have you had to recently walk through a dark time in your life? Maybe it came in the form of a broken relationship, a unwanted diagnosis, a loss of a job or even the death of a loved one. These periods of our lives can be daunting, overwhelming, and so very painful. We wonder where do we turn or who do we turn to for help and companionship through these times.

Many times we need the companionship of a close friend or even a professional counselor, but no matter what we are going through or how dark the valley, there is always God. We may not understand our circumstances, but we can lean on One greater than our circumstances. He has stated many times in Scripture that ‘He will never leave us or abandon us’ (Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 13:5) God is a God of comfort and companionship during our darkest trials. David experienced this when he faced Goliath. He later wrote Psalm 23 that speaks of God being there ‘even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.’ I imagine when he was penning these words he was reflecting how God had accompanied him into the Valley of Elah to slay a giant enemy. Whatever you are facing and no matter how dark the valley, God is there, even when we don’t feel Him, to be our constant companion to lean on during our times of trouble.

Psalm 23:4 NIV – Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Have you ever had a question about life and someone responded, “just have faith”? In the angst of having a question it can be quite discouraging when someone gives you such a pat answer. So what does it mean to have faith?  

There are two types of faith that we can discuss: Blind Faith & Evidential Faith. Blind faith is how many describe their faith. Sadly, many believers, give this definition which is having no reason to believe something, but believing it anyway. It’s almost like a badge of honor to some. This understanding of faith is absurd, furthermore dangerous, and why people do crazy things in the name of religion!

The Biblical understanding of faith is one of evidence. It is not faith or reason, but rather faith and reason. Reason reveals the bread crumbs to follow and faith sees the inference. We have all watched the CSI shows where one rationally finds the evidence, and then can infer the most probable outcome. It is the same way with faith according to Scripture. As Ravi Zacharias once put it, “God has placed enough evidence before us to make Christianity a rational endeavor, but left enough out to make it a relational experience.” There are in fact reasons for faith such as the reliability of the Bible, existence of God, the person of Christ, and ultimately His resurrection.

Hebrews 11:1 NLT – Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.

So let’s begin with a few questions…What or who is guiding your life today in this very moment? Who are you taking advice from? Are they qualified to give advice? Who should we turn to for help?

As a person going through life there are many things that compete to guide our lives. The problem is that only One Person is qualified and that is not even ourselves. It is the Holy Spirit of God. God knows our lives from beginning to end and only He is qualified to be the captain of the  ship of life. When I lived in Nashville and was pursuing music, the drive for my career in music and what pleased me was the guide of my life. I was the “god” of my life, yet so very unqualified. I often found myself shipwrecked with despair and discouragement feeding desires that I had often said I would stay away from. We go to a mechanic to ask advice for our car, a doctor for our body, an attorney for legal matters, so why do we turn to ourselves for the greater questions regarding life? This makes absolutely no sense, but we are all guilty of it. Let God, who is life, guide your life so that you can miss some of the bumps in the road that maybe awaiting you up ahead.  

Galatians 5:16- So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.